Overhead-line construction for electric railways.



Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

s sum-54mm 1.

T. VARNEY.

OVERHEAD LINE cous'mwc'nou FOB. ELECTRIC BAILWAYS.

APPLIGATION IILED APILB. 1801.

931,354. 4 v Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

; ATTORNEY T. VARNEY. OVERHEAD LINE CONSTRUCTION FQB ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED APBJ, 1907.

WITNESSES:

9- l 0 n 9 B R E 0 Y H T F. 7 B N N 1 E R N V 0 g B m V n u H A A s d 3 W Y B a P J F u 1. .3 .3. \L h n h n w 4 4 0 w H A N K 1- H i A K A MAL KAL UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE VARNEY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WES'IINGl- OUSE ELEV- TRIC dz MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

v No. 931,354.

OVERHEAD-LINE CONSTRUCTION FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, Tl-IEUDORE VARNEY, a

' citizen of the United States, and a resident diagrammatic Figs.

of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Im rovement in Overhead- Line Construction or Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My, invention relates to electric line condoctors and means for'their suspension, and has special reference tosuch overhead line structures as embody electric railway trolley conductors.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved line structure of the class above lndicated that shall be simple and durable and s ecially adapted for use in tunnels or simi ar locations where 'the overhead space is limited.

A welldgnown catenary form of trolley line construction comprising one or more trolley conductors suspended substantially arallel to the track from a messenger cable is largely employed where high speed electric vehic esare supplied with energy from the trolley conductors.

One of the objects of my present invention is to provide suitable means for susending trolle lines of the catenary type in tunnels an in similar locations where the available vertical space is'restricted.

My invention is'illustrated in the accompalrz ying drawings, in which igure 1 is a view, partially in elevation and partially in section, of two trolley eonductors and one of their supporting structures constructed and arranged in accordance therewith. Figs. 2 and 3 are, respec tively, a side elevation and a plan view of oiieof the messenger cable supports, and 4 5, and 6 are detail views of one of the trolley conductor supports. (Fig. 7 is a plan view of a section of line construction.

Referring to the drawings, a clevis 1 depends from the center of a tunnel pocket 2, and-trolley conductors 3 and 4 are indirectly supported by and insulated from this clevis. A ring. 5 having projections 6 is ivotally mounted in the arms of the "'clevis 1 and serves as adirect support for a taper plug 7 that is insulated from the rin by means of j an insulating tube 8 of suite le shape. A

messenger cable 9 is suspended from the lower extremity of the 'taper'plug 7 by Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 5, 1907. Serial No. 366,500.

opposite sides of the plate.

Patented Aug. 17, 1909-.

11, a screw-threaded boss 12 which is inlegral therewith and U-shaped bolls 13 that encircle the cable and engage notches 14 in In order to prevent surface leikage between the sup porting clevis and the taper plug, the insuluting tube 8 is sealed by l'nolded petticoat insulator L3 (which is formed under heavy pressure, in a well known nmnncr, after the plug, ring and taper tube are a. -:se1nbleltl) The cable 9 is preferably supported, in the manner described, at points indicated by X in Fig. 7 (which are relatively near to gcthel') and may preferably be drawn taut in order to avoid contact with the top of the tum1el when upward pressure is exerted by a trolley. A pair of insulating bars 16 are maintained in parallel relation by a cross beam or bracket 17 to which they are bolted substantially at their middle points. The beam or bracket 17 is supported from the cable 9, substa tially midway between the cable so )ports, y means of U-bolts 18, and the tro ley conductors are supported from the extremities of the bars 16 by means oftrolley conductor clamps 19 which may be of any suitable design that is adapted to thecrosasectional shape of the trolley conductors. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and l of the drawings, the trolley conductors are provided with longitudinal grooves 20 and each of the trolley supports connrises a pair of clamping jaws 21,- a screw-threaded ushin 22 and a bolt 23 which extends througi a hole near one end of the bar.

At any given point, the distance from the supporting cable to the trolley conductors are referably equal in order that the strains on t 1e structure may beequalized but it is desirable to. make the beams 17 of different. lengths in order that the trolley conductors may gradually diver o and converge, as

shown in Fig. 7, and t ereby avoid the formation of grooves in the engaging trolley shoe. The points of so ort for the trolley conductors are indicaterfby Y in Fig. 7.

By making the insulating bars 16 of considerable length they may serve as a secondar insulation to electrically separate the ca le 9 and the beams 17 from the trolley conductors and at the same time economize the vertical space in the tunnel.

It will, of course, be understood that my invention is not restricted in its use or arrangement of parts to the application and structure shown, and that the drawings are intended only to illustrate a convenient embodiment of my invention, without imposing restrictions upon it. y e

I claim as my invention:

,1. In an electric trolley line. the combination with dependent hangers of inverted U- shape, clamps attached to said hangers and insulated therefrom, and a wire or cable supported by the clamps, of trolley con ductors parallel to the wire or cable, longitudinal insulating bars, trolley conductor bars longitudinally located relativel clamps at" the respective ends of the bars, and means for supporting the bars at their middle points.

2. In a trolley line structure, the combination with a messenger or supporting wire or cable and a trolley conductor, of insulating thereto, trolley conductor clamps locate at the respective ends of the bars, and means for supporting the bars from the wire or cable.

3. In a trolley line structure, the combination with a wire or cable and two trolley conductors, of longitudinally, dis osed insulating bars, trolley conductor c amps atthe respective ends of the bars and a metal clamping means for sup orting and spacing the bars in pairs from t e Wire or cable.

4. In a trolley line structure, the combination with a supporting cable or wire and two trolley conductors in a plane below and par allel to the plane of the cable, of longitudi- 1 nally disposed insulating bars, trolley conductor clamps at the respective ends of the bars and a metal clamping means for supportin and spacing the bars in pairs from the ca le or wire.

5. In a trolley line structure, the combination with a'depending clevis, a ring having a tapered hole and rovided with rojections that are rotata 1y supported Evthe arms of' the clevis, a tapered plug fitted into and insulated from the ring, a messenger cableand a clam for securing the cable to the lower end of the ta ercd plug, trolley conductors, and means or supporting the conductors from the cable.

6. In a trolley line structure,the combination with a depending clevis, a ring having and insulated from the ring, a messenger for securing the cable to the lower end 0 the tapered lug, trolley conductors, and a supporting rame for securing the conductors to the cable comprisin a laterally projecting beam and longitu inalinsulating bars.

7. In a trolley ine structure, the combination with a depending clevis, a ring having a tapered hole and rovided with projections that are rotata 1y supported b the arms of the clevis, a tapered plug fitte into and insulated from the ring, a messenger cable and a clamp for securing the cable to the lower end of the tapered lug, trolley conductors, and a supporting rame for so curing the conductors to and insulating them from the cable comprising hanger bolts, a laterally projecting beam and longitudinal insulating bars.

cable and a clam 8. In a trolley line structure,the combination with :1 depending clevis, a ring having a tapered hole and provided with projections that are rotata ly supported v the arid insu ated from t e ring, a messenger cable and a clam v for ecuring the cable to the lower end 0 the ta ered plug, trolley conductors, and means or supporting the conductors from thecable, said means comprising relatively long insulating bars, trolley conductor clamps at the respective ends of the bars, and means for supporting the bars at theirmiddle points.

arms of t e clevis, a'taiiered plug fitted into 9. In a trolley line structure, the combina" tion with a messenger wire or cable and a trolley conductor, of longitudinally disposed insulating bars, laterally projectin bracket arms for attaching said bars to sai wire or cable, and clamps for suspending the trolley conductor from said bars.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th day of March 1907.

THEODORE VARNEY. Witnesses Wusnur G. CARR, BIRNEY Hume. 

